Before the past few weeks, the rumbling had stopped. But come
December, just like in 1999, the call from fans was clear.

Mount Union should move out of Division III.

This is a request that doesn't make any sense, frankly. The
people who think Mount Union can play Division II football the way
Johns Hopkins plays Division I lacrosse or Colorado College plays
Division I hockey don't realize that the NCAA won't let schools
"play up" a level in football or basketball.

The people who think Mount Union should move up to D-II in
everything don't understand the financial outlay it would take to
do so. It's more likely those people haven't even considered
Mount's other sports at all.

Where was all this negative feeling last year, when they barely
beat Bridgewater in the Stagg Bowl? Or in 2000, when they were
coming off a season-ending loss from the previous year and were
held to 10 points in the title game?

Fact is, it should be fun to chase Mount Union. Every coach that
has brought a team to Salem the past three seasons to play Larry
Kehres' squad has talked about how it's an honor to play the best
team of the era. To get to the title game, you'll have to go
through Alliance.

Besides, who knows? Mount Union faces an offseason where it
loses Rob Adamson and Dan Pugh on offense, and unlike when Chuck
Moore graduated after the 2001 season, having a seasoned Pugh to
step in, the probable 2003 starter averaged fewer than five carries
per game.

"I think there are some relatively significant changes that
we'll experience next year," said Kehres. "There were glimpses of
those changes this year, when we played without Rob. We played with
a slightly different style, and that could be our trademark next
year."

The Purple Raiders also lose eight starters on defense,
including Hula Bowl-bound cornerback Chris Kern. And Don
Montgomery, Mount Union's defensive coordinator, could take the
head coaching job at Marietta. It's apparently his if he wants
it.

But even that might not prove a blip on the purple radar, as
four starters return on an incredibly talented offensive line and
wide receivier Randell Knapp has come into his own. The biggest
pressure the 2003 Mount Union squad will face might be from
themselves.

"Our football team this season had sort of the daunting task of
trying to play as well as the others," Kehres said. "It's hard to
be recognized as a great team unless you win all your games, and
they did."

With all due respect to teams like UW-Whitewater,
Baldwin-Wallace and OAC up-and-comer Capital, I fully expect to see
Mount Union playing in the national semifinals next year, going
after its 55th consecutive win, breaking its own record.

Is that considered balanced? No. Does the dominance lessen
people's general interest in Division III? Probably. But is it
fair? Yes. Many have griped about it and some have tried to do
something about it, but nobody has proven that Mount Union does
anything illegal.

So, as long as Mount Union doesn't suddenly start offering
athletic scholarships, they belong in Division III as much as
anyone else.